Indianapolis Star: Indiana diplomas have changed, but college admission standards have not

By Emily Hancock, University of Indianapolis Director of Admissions

Before I started working in college admissions, I was an eighth-grade English teacher at an Indianapolis charter school. I loved my students. They were smart, funny and fun. Together, we read graphic novels, acted out scenes from Shakespeare and wrote plenty of essays preparing for standardized tests.

Each year, on the last day of school, I had all of my students write a letter, “What did they want to say to themselves as seniors?” I remember how they silently wrote their words, then sealed them for the future. I also remember our discussions of both fear and excitement about what was to come as they headed off for high school.

If you are a middle school parent, you are likely experiencing the same feelings of fear and excitement about your child’s high school experience. It is a time of great personal and academic growth. It means more freedom to choose courses they want that will put them on their future path.

But that path just became a little more complex. [continue reading]